We found a very interesting comparison of the Audi A8L against the BMW 750Li and the Jaguar XJL Supercharged. There’s a clear winner, not surprising.

It’s a rare imperfection in a vehicle that runs hard and fast over hills and across deserts. A light fog hangs over the steering, preventing the driver from feeling fully in communication with the road. Yet the handling is stable and the grip feverish, and being able to sense every stone in the pavement isn’t necessarily a virtue in this class. Unlike the Jag, the Audi’s sturdy structure soaks up almost all vibrations before they reach the cabin, but—for some reason—not the audible slap of the 20-inchers hitting rough patches.

The yaw effect of the optional torque-vectoring differential helped supply a best-in-test lane-change speed of 60.7 mph and a skidpad performance of 0.93 g. The differential’s efficacy is so pronounced near the limit that it feels like the car has rear-wheel steering—even more so than the BMW, which actually has rear-wheel steering. Because few will ever use the differential to its full potential, the A8’s trunk floor should be transparent so that at least owners can show off this pricey widget to friends.

While it’s doubtful that many buyers in this segment ever exploit the true abilities of their cars, at least we did. Doing so distinguished the Audi as the most compelling and the best value.